The number of adults in England who regularly play sport has risen by more than half a million over the past two years, according to new research1 .
More than 6.8 million people2 aged 16 and over are now taking part in sport at least three times a week, for a minimum of 30 minutes, at moderate intensity3. This figure contributes to a total of 11.73 million people choosing to participate in physical activity4. It also provides the baseline for Sport England to measure our target of getting one million people playing more sport - as part of the Government's drive to get two million people more active by 2012.
The results of the Active People Survey 2 show that the number of men regularly playing sport has risen by 311,000 to 4.04 million, while the number of women completing three sessions of sport each week has increased by 240,000 to 2.81 million.
The fastest growth in sports participation has been among people in their twenties. The number of adults with a limiting disability doing sport at least three times a week has increased by 48,000 to 435,000.
Participation has grown fastest in the Yorkshire region, where the regular sports participation rate is 17.3%. There have been significant increases in all English regions except London and the West Midlands, which has the lowest sports participation rate of 14.6%.
More people than ever are giving up their time to help others in their community to play and enjoy sport. The survey found that over two million adults in England are committing at least one hour a week to volunteering in sport.
Sport England’s Chief Executive, Jennie Price, said:
“These figures provide Sport England, and the organisations we are funding, with a clear starting point on our journey to get one million people playing more sport by 2012.
“The results show we are heading in the right direction, but also highlight some of the challenges we face – such as tackling the gender gap - as we build momentum for community sport in the run-up to London 2012.”
The Minister for Sport, Gerry Sutcliffe MP, said:
"It's fantastic that over half a million more people are now taking part in sport since we won the Olympic bid. This shows that the record amount of public money invested in community sport in the last decade is delivering results. This is no time to rest on our laurels though. I want to see another million people regularly playing sport by 2012."
191,000 people were interviewed for the survey, which was commissioned by Sport England following the success of the first Active People Survey, two years ago. The large sample size enables Sport England to identify how participation varies from place to place, between sports and between different groups in the population.
The survey also provides a baseline for sports being funded by Sport England, against which their progress towards individual targets will be measured over the next four years. Swimming remains the most popular sport, with athletics (including running and jogging) and cycling the fastest-growing5.
Other key facts from the Active People Survey 2 include:
- More than 10 million adults are members of a club where they play sport
- More than 7.5 million adults have received tuition to improve their sporting performance in the past 12 months
- 6 million adults have taken part in competitive sport during the past 12 months.
1 191,000 adults (aged 16 and over) living in England were interviewed by telephone between Oct. 2007 and Oct. 2008 for the Active People Survey 2 (APS2), which was carried out by Ipsos MORI on behalf of Sport England. Comparisons are with Active People Survey 1 (APS1), also conducted by Ipsos MORI, which was carried out between Oct. 2005 and Oct. 2006 and comprised 363,724 interviews with adults (16 and over) living in England. The growth in the adult population between the two surveys is 725,000.
2 16.5% of the adult population, based on Office for National Statistics (ONS) population data for mid-2007. The equivalent figure for APS1 was 6.3 million (15.5%) based on ONS population data for mid-2005. The increase in numbers of participants is a consequence of both an increase in the participation rate (1 percentage point) and an increase in the English adult population of 725,000
3 Reflecting Sport England’s new strategy, this is based on a sport-focused participation indicator that excludes recreational walking and infrequent recreational cycling. For more information and further breakdowns of the figure by key demographics, click here.
This figure represents those adults physically active at least three times a week, for a minimum of 30 minutes and at moderate intensity through sport, active recreation and active travel. Work is in-hand to capture other forms of physical activity that people choose to do, which will contribute to the overall 2 million target. Government will communicate the baseline for the 2 million target in due course.
5 Click here for a breakdown of participation for individual sports.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Sport England is a non-departmental public body and National Lottery distributor. We are committed to creating a world-leading community sports system and increasing participation in sport. Sport England’s annual budget (lottery and exchequer) is c£250m.
Sport England’s new strategy was launched on 10 June 2008 and commits us to delivering demanding targets by 2012/13:
- one million people doing more sport
- a 25% reduction in the number of 16- to 18-year-olds who drop out of five key sports
- improved talent development systems in at least 25 sports
- a measurable increase in people’s satisfaction with their experience of sport – the first time the organisation has set such a qualitative measure
- a major contribution to the delivery of the five hour sports offer for children and young people.
For more information please contact the communications team: Peter Dickinson on 020 7273 1800, Alex Russell on 020 7273 1866, or Andrew St Ledger on 020 7273 1593.
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